


Right Side of Rock Bottom

by basingtei



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Medical Procedures, Medical Trauma, Mild Gore, One Shot, aphelion - Freeform, hidge, prosthetic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 19:08:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13324602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/basingtei/pseuds/basingtei
Summary: Pidge gets injured beyond recovery. She can either lay down and suffer or do something about it. However, she teaches us that you can suffer while trying your best.This a part of the fandom project, Aphelion.





	Right Side of Rock Bottom

**Author's Note:**

> This was my absolute favorite piece I wrote for Aphelion and I am excited to share it with you all!!!

The fight was intense and all the Paladins flew without verbal orders, objections clear. However, no matter how much experience they had, something was always bound to surprise them. A ship they had thought was destroyed shot at the group and hit just as they were getting into formation, knocking the green lion out of place where the yellow lion had been just a second ago.

 

It happened too fast for her to process everything. The blinding purple flash, a voice or multiple shouting her name, the sound of metal shredding, the ringing in her ears, the burning and searing pain in her leg, the loss of oxygen, floating through space briefly, and then the yellow jaw of a lion swallowing her whole as her world went dark. It was too much to have happened in six seconds, but it did. And although the human brain is the fastest computer known to humankind, it still wasn’t enough to lessen the overwhelmingness of the situation. 

 

The fight was over the moment everyone retreated through a wormhole and decided to care for her instead. Now she was floating in a world of darkness, just like before, but her brain felt like mud. No, worse, it felt nothing. No thoughts fluttered through. No passing subject to focus on. Just darkness and eons of loneliness with the inability to think. No feeling. No hunger. No sound. No pain. No memory or dreams.

 

As Pidge floated through the void, a small sound finally jolted her back to life. It was the sound of a door sliding open, and with it came awareness. She was lying down: exhausted, confused, and cold. Was she naked? No, just her limbs were, her torso was covered. From her hips to her shoulders, she was stuck in a suffocatingly tight garment reminiscent of a one-piece bathing suit. She felt like she was in saran wrap. She tried to take in a breath and it felt amazing. Though the suit was tight, it expanded easily and the fresh air inside her lungs could have put mountain breezes to shame. So she did it again, intoxicating herself with the relief of being able to breathe, even if she was freezing. 

 

Speaking of cold, what was she lying on? It was hard and smooth, almost like glass or metal. Her skin stuck to it in a way that made her want a shower. She knew the oils in her skin would leave an imprint. Come to think of it, why didn’t she reek of sweat and blood? Only her limbs were stuck to whatever she was lying on. Her hair wasn’t stuck to the back of her neck, it was actually fluffy and clean. The air on her neck and face made her realize she didn’t have a trace of grime on her. All of this processed in her mind in a matter of seconds, her brain completely rebooted. She gathered her bearings just quick enough to start hearing the commotion that followed the silence.  

 

She heard the ship’s hum, the sound of footsteps around her, the frantic breathing of people, and the understated verbal silence that was uncomfortable and suffocating her again. 

 

Pidge opened her eyes slowly, only to be blinded by white lights above her. Alteans didn’t have fluorescence, but the bright bulbs above her were just as assaulting. Her fuzzy vision came into focus and she let her eyes move before doing anything else, seeing people just out on the fringes of her peripherals. She opened her mouth to take in a breath and it felt like heaven, better than through her nose. Her breath must have sounded like a gasp because it provoked someone to come into her vision.

 

“Pidge? Are you okay?”

 

The person leaned over her and blocked the light. It took a moment, but she recognized the tuft of white hair and square jaw: Shiro. 

 

“Oh thank goodness,” another voice spoke. It was a woman: Allura.

 

“She lives! She’s unstoppable!” Lance, that was definitely Lance. She wanted to laugh, but couldn’t find her voice.

 

“You have absolutely no filter.” Keith, no mistake.

 

“How are her… What was that word you used? Vitals?” Coran. Wait, vitals?

 

“She’s okay.” Hunk! Wait, what? “Her blood pressure is really low, she’s probably dehydrated. O₂ is at 95%. Pulse is low, but that’s to be expected. Her temperature is almost back to normal so the induced hypothermia worked really well.” Why is Hunk reading her vitals? Why does she have vitals? What’s reading her? She didn’t feel any sensors on her body. Induced hypothermia? Did she go into cardiac arrest? What was she missing? “Oh wait, her pulse is spiking. I think she really is awake this time.” Wait, this time? “Look at the EEG I rigged into the pod’s system. Her neurons are firing like crazy, she can totally hear us right now.”

 

“Duh, her eyes are open. See, this is why people can’t just jump fields.” 

 

“Lance, her eyes were open last time, but she didn’t register. Let Hunk work, he knows what he’s doing,” Shiro scolded him, getting out of her line of vision and letting the light shine down into her eyes again. She blinked and squinted. God that was bright. Why was Hunk a medic now? Why did Pidge need a medic? How did he even know what he was doing? Though, she could tell from Shiro’s voice that he treated Hunk’s word as gospel. 

 

Suddenly, an even brighter light was shining into her right eye. She flinched back and groaned. Her first movement. She could move after all, a small weight off her chest. 

 

“Sorry Pidge. Just work with me,” Hunk’s voice spoke but she couldn’t see him. She just opened her eye and let him blind her in her right eye first, then the left. 

 

“She doesn’t have anymore signs of a concussion. We’ll need to test her motor skills among other things to do a complete assessment.”

 

“Hunk, I assure you that these pods heal everything. There’s no need for—”

 

“Allura, they clearly don’t heal everything,” Hunk interrupted and it was harsh. If he were a black mamba, Allura would be dead with the lethal amount of venom in his words. Pidge had never heard him speak that way. And just like that, the room fell silent and it was uncomfortable again, even for her. 

 

Out of all the questions in her mind, one stood out the most, the groundwork for everything to come together. 

 

“What happened?” It was a question but it came out rough and demanding. She barely recognized her own voice. In the silence that followed, a warm hand came to her arm and she was able to slowly turn her head. She was met with a pair of deep brown eyes that held their emotions steady, though caring. 

 

“Pidge, what’s the last thing you remember?” Hunk asked softly, his thumb rubbing small circles into her arm. She normally would have blushed, but everything was so scrambled that she couldn’t afford any other distraction. Her brain had a mission now. Remember. Remember. Remember. What happened last? Of course—

 

“The fight. We were fighting a huge fleet of Galra ships. You and I were on cannon duty while Keith and Lance took out the engines. Shiro was helping by distracting the fighter pilots.” She paused and blinked, her head starting to hurt. “I think I remember Allura and Coran yelling? And then there was this bright light. And a lot of metallic sounds.” She reached up slowly and rested her hand on her head, closing her eyes.

 

“It’s okay, you can rest,” Hunk prompted tenderly before he brushed his hand through the hair that framed her face. Her heart rate was probably obscenely high right now, but she couldn’t worry about it. She didn’t have the capacity to. She sighed and let her hand drop, her body feeling weak. She moved her head around to see that she was in a cryopod, but the pod was turned to lie on the ground instead of standing up. It must have been pulled out for some reason: For her. 

 

“I got hurt, didn’t I?” she asked and her voice was coming back to her, sounding less rough and more tired. “It must have been pretty bad if I couldn’t even stand in the pod.” She paused and went over the conversations in her head. “Did I look like I was awake one time?”

 

Hunk nodded and sat next to her on the ground. “You opened your eyes, but that was it. You didn’t have any cognitive reactions. It only lasted about ten minutes and then you went back to sleep.”

 

“Wow. Must have been a crazy ride. Well, I feel better, just really confused and tired.” Hunk smiled at her and she felt at ease. “Is Green okay?”

 

“She was quite banged up!” Coran broke in. “No worries though, she’s almost like new!”

 

“How long was I out?” She closed her eyes and grinned to hide how she wanted to scold herself for not having helped out with repairs, as if she’d chosen to be lazy; even though she’d actually been healing in the cryopod. No one answered her. As the silence stretched on, she opened her eyes to see Hunk fighting between crying and yelling. “Hunk?”

 

He turned away from her and she grew more confused. “Shiro?” She turned her head to opposite direction and saw a mix of emotions on his face.

 

“What’s wrong?” she asked, an icy grip of panic sliding through her stomach.

 

The silence continued with each person she looked at.

 

“No one? No one is gonna tell her?!” Keith’s voice interjected and she turned her head upwards, realizing he was standing at the head of the pod. He leaned down and looked at her, pain in his eyes paired with a familiar determination.

 

“Pidge... you’ve been out for three weeks. You opened your eyes a couple days ago, but that didn’t mean anything. We wanted to be sure you were done healing and when you woke up, we weren’t sure if you were done.”

 

“But I feel fine. I’m just really, really cold. And I’m having trouble feeling my legs.”

 

“Pidge look down.”

 

She was uncertain about the command, but leaned up to look down at herself. She saw that she was indeed bare, in a white and black swimsuit form of a cryopod suit. Her left leg seemed fine, just cold. Her right leg—she felt sick at the sight. She dropped her head back with a harsh slam and tried to breathe. She had a thigh, a knee, and the beginnings of a calf… and that was it. The rest of her leg and foot were gone, leaving a scarred tapered stump behind. She didn’t have any words, just tears streaming down the sides of her face as her family watched helplessly. 

 

“Pidge… I’m so sorry,” Shiro voiced, soft and caring. He knew more than anyone else what she was going through at that moment. She knew he meant it, but she couldn’t take it. She couldn’t take the silence around her, the screaming in her head, her heart aching and breaking down.  

 

“I want to go to my room.”

 

“Pidge, we can find a fix for this,” Shiro tried to reason.

 

“Shiro, I know, but I just can’t right now.” She turned back to Hunk and raised an arm. “Please. Take me to my room.” Her request made her sound small and fragile, like a porcelain doll.

 

Hunk was quick to oblige, taking her small frame into his arms. He stood and everyone looked to her, wanting to comfort her without knowing how. He turned without a second thought, taking her to her room as requested. She was relieved when it was just them. She couldn’t bare much more pity than one person at a time, let alone her own shock. Although she could clearly see her legs in Hunk’s arms, she could still feel her right leg, cold and numb, hanging and bobbing as Hunk walked through the halls. 

 

When he reached her room, he had no problem getting the door open.

 

“Bed?”

 

She just nodded and he put her down gently, covering her up and tucking the blankets under her shoulder. 

 

“Can you lay out some clothes for me for the morning?” she asked, her eyes already closed.

 

“Sure thing Pidge.” He smiled a bit and got all of her clothes, gathering them in a pile at the foot of her bed.

 

He left without much more of a conversation as she grew angry and bitter, sobbing into her pillow until she blacked out into the night.

  
  


The morning was no better. With her muscles sore and her pride in shambles, she lifted herself slowly from the covers and let them fall around her waist. She was still in that odd cryopod suit. She wanted it off, so that was her first objective. She uncovered herself completely and rested her legs on the edge of the bed, trying not to look at her stump of a limb but also knowing she couldn’t stand. This was going to be the first of many challenges for her. 

 

She cursed internally at herself and used her arms to pull the top half of the suit off, peeling it down to her waist. Then she lay back and stripped it off by pushing her hips up the best she could. When it was down around her thighs she slipped it off and flung it across the room, sitting naked on her bed. She looked at the suit and wanted to burn it at first, but pink stripes on her body made her wish she hadn’t taken it off. 

 

Her right arm had a gash similar to the one on Shiro’s face, though not as healed, jagged, and much longer. Her torso had an area on her right side that seemed to climb from her hips to her ribs like a lattice. It seemed pretty healed. She hadn’t noticed any of this yesterday, the focus being on her missing limb: the thing she still didn’t want to look at. She swore she could feel the cold bare floor with her right foot as much as her left. That she could feel the sheets wrinkled under her calf. It was just a shadow of a feeling, but it felt real and if she looked to reaffirm that her leg was indeed gone, it would just make that shadow feeling worse.

 

Pidge got dressed the best she could, only putting on one sock and not bothering with shoes. Her shorts were normal and so were her underwear, but Hunk had laid out a sweater for her that he had made a while ago. It was a nice hoodie with beautiful leaves and vines knitted into it, reminiscent of her link with the Olkari. She smiled and pulled it on over her bra. It smelled like the herbs they found on Arus and the food Hunk cooked when Lance wanted to remember home. She folded her arms into the pocket and sunk her head down into the fabric. Pidge smiled and let herself enjoy one moment of normality before trying to figure out what to do. 

 

She couldn’t walk. She couldn’t get up. She couldn’t do anything. She sighed and shook her head. No, she was the Green Paladin of Voltron and she would get out of that bed, even if it killed her. She took a breath and stood on her left leg, using the bed to help her balance. She felt smug when she was steady, she  _ could _ do this. She hopped towards the door and misgauged her footing, falling face first onto her floor and giving herself a nasty nose bleed. 

 

“Ugh…” she groaned, rolling onto her back and holding her nose up, trying to get the blood to run down her throat instead of her face and clothes. 

 

“Hey! Are you all right?” A voice shouted outside her door. She wanted to die. Of course he would come to her door. She fell so hard the whole Castle probably heard her.

 

“Hey Hunk. I’m okay,” she assured, but the muffled, gurgle of her voice didn’t help her lie pass.

 

“Are you decent?”

 

“That’s a pretty grey area, but if you mean ‘Am I wearing pants?’ then yes.” She smiled and watched the door open. He frowned.

 

“Aw man. That’s not good,” he said and leaned down to pick her up. 

 

“I’m okay. It’s just a nosebleed. It happens.”

 

“Yeah when you let your face catch your fall.” He smiled and carried her out of the room. They walked down the halls and turned to the opposite direction of the lounge.

 

“Hunk, where are we going?” she asked, pinching her nose.

 

“Kitchen. I have all my first aid stuff moved in there. Plus, you need something to eat and we need water to clean the blood off,” he explained, like he had it planned out ahead of time.

 

“How are you not wanting to vomit right now? I mean, you have to be able to smell this.” She gagged, letting the iron fluid run down her throat, coating the back of her tongue.

 

“I’m not a total wuss. Just, you know, I get space sick and I really really think alien food disagrees with me sometimes.” He laughed a bit and she smiled. 

 

They entered the kitchen and it seemed like everyone had been waiting for them. Lance looked absolutely thrilled to see her. Allura and Shiro were reserved, but relieved nonetheless. Keith had a smile that said he knew she would be okay. And Coran looked just as happy as ever, like nothing was wrong. Hunk set her down in a chair and handed her a napkin for her nose. 

 

“Oh man, what happened?” Lance asked, not afraid to be nosey, though everyone wanted to know.

 

“I tripped,” She paused as Hunk handed her a nasal spray they had obtained to clot the tissue rupture and heal it. She used it and wiped off the blood with a warm wash rag he had also given her. “Well, I guess you can’t trip on a solid flat floor with one leg. So I guess technically, I fell.” She put the washrag in a receptacle for washing, happy to have her face clean again. 

 

“So I guess this means you’re gonna be clumsier than ever?” He laughed and folded his arms behind his head.

 

“Lance.” Shiro said in a warning tone, like a mother lion growling at her son. 

 

“Shiro, it’s fine. I may be stubborn but once you fall on your face, you realize things are going to be different.” Pidge shrugged and tried not to think about it. 

 

It was quiet and Allura came up behind her, running a hand through her hair.

 

“Pidge, I know for a fact that if anyone can come up with a solution for this, it’s you. And we’re all here to help you.”

 

Pidge heard her words, however, the hand drew her attention more. It felt intensely familiar. She couldn’t put it in her mind where she had felt that before because Allura had never done that until now. 

 

“You should eat, Pidge.” She turned to Shiro and he had a soft smile on his face. They had always been connected, but in this moment, Shiro was the only one who knew how weak she really felt as well as broken and angry.

 

“Hunk made a special meal for all of us. To celebrate your return,” Keith mentioned and she looked to him. He wore that smug smirk he usually did when he beat something. She idly wondered if he had bet on when she would wake up, but she knew he wasn’t that type: just the sort to gloat when he was right. 

 

A plate slid in front of her, yet it looked odd. A pile of yellow goo, a few round rubbery things that were shades of pink and green, and another pile of goo, this one kind of clumpy like cottage cheese, but brown. It didn’t look appetizing at all, but smelled like a Christmas morning compared to normal food goo, which smelled like corn meal.

 

“You’ll like it, trust me,” Hunk promised, sitting next to Keith. Apparently they had all eaten already and she was the only one left. She didn’t care what time or day it was, just that they were all there for her and that she was hungry. She took a bit of the brown goo and it tasted like chicken: seasoned and grilled like what she used to have at barbeques on earth. That was only the beginning, the yellow goo tasted just like mashed potatoes with cheese and sour cream. The rubbery round things tasted like broccoli mixed with a sweet sauce, like duck sauce? She wasn’t sure, but it was amazing. 

 

“Hunk, oh my God!” she murmured excitedly and stuffed as much food in her mouth as she could—

manners be damned. It didn’t matter, everyone smiled and Coran had a good laugh, rambling about how when he was in boot camp they would experiment with their rations to get the oddest food combinations which ended up making everyone sick. She smiled, but kept eating, feeling normal for just a few minutes. 

 

When she was done, a glass of water came her way and she downed it like she was in the sahara and had found an oasis. The plate and glass were taken from her by Shiro, who was happy to help. When he sat back down, Pidge was ready to talk about it, or at least make herself talk about it. Even if she wasn’t actually ready.

 

“So... I don’t have a leg. Where do we go from here? Can I even still be a Paladin?”

 

“Of course you can,” Allura answered softly and sat on the other side of her. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you, it’s that nothing in the universe can stop you once you’ve made your mind up on something.”

 

“Where’s my armor?” She paused and thought backwards. “Wait, who changed me? I was in my suit when I blacked out.”

 

“Allura did. Who else would have?” Lance asked, giving her the oddest face, as if it were discernible. Pidge didn’t have time for Lance’s attitude, she was tired and confused. He didn’t have the right to be sassy. Then she looked to Allura for confirmation, who nodded.

 

“And made sure you were clean every now and then.” 

 

Pidge’s eyes went wide.

 

“You washed my hair.” It wasn’t a question, more like a murmured statement as the memory came back. She wasn’t concerned about being bathed by anyone, but the changing issue would have been something that had to have been done immediately to get her in the pod that anyone would have done for the sake of her not dying. Bathing obviously came from a trusted source.

 

“You remember?” Allura straightened up and her eyes were cautious. “No one remembers anything while in cryostasis.”

 

“She wasn’t technically in stasis when you did that…” Hunk admitted quietly.

 

“What?!” Both girls exclaimed and he sighed, trying to find words both Allura and Pidge would understand. Basic Layman’s terms would be the best option. 

 

“Look, for you to open up the pod I had to stop the healing process—”

 

“You said you found a work around! You said the shield I was reaching through would work!” Allura accused.

 

“It did work! But it wasn’t exactly a barrier to keep the process going, it just made your hands sterile when you touched her so she wouldn’t get infected. I don’t exactly know where to find space penicillin or what we would have done if she had gotten MRSA from the wound being open to bacteria filled air like that!”

 

“Hunk, Allura took care of her an hour a day. She was out for three weeks and you’re telling us that the hour Allura spent with her stopped her from healing?” Shiro asked, his voice quickly shifted from caring and kind to firm and authoritative. 

 

“Look, she needed to be cared for in many different ways. I helped with that. Even if it extended her time in the pod, she was cared for,” Hunk declared and crossed his arms.

 

“It extended her time in there! What if we needed her?!” Shiro asked a little too loudly.

 

“What if you need me now Shiro?” She asked, matching his tone. “I guess you all adapted to talking about me while I’m in the same room, but I can hear you now! I’m right here, so don’t talk about me like I’m not!” She paused and gritted her teeth. “What if you needed me right now Shiro? What if we needed Voltron? There’s nothing I could do so stop yelling at Hunk for helping me!”

 

“Everyone needs to stay calm,” Coran interjected in a firm yet steady voice. “We all have enough stress without having a go at each other.”

 

The kitchen went quiet, Pidge and Shiro both bitter about Coran being right. Yet again, she found herself easily drained from being so worked up. She sighed and nodded. 

 

“He’s right. As angry as I am, I can’t take it out on you guys. And you guys shouldn’t fight about what’s already been done.” She tried to think it through the best way she could, feeling groggy still. She placed both hands on the table and stood to everyone’s surprise, leaving Lance and Shiro a little slack jawed. Once she was steady she looked up to the group. “I’m going to go down to Green’s hanger. Her and I need to have a chat and all my lab equipment is down there.” She looked over the group, getting very mixed signals from them all. “I’m gonna figure this out.”

 

“I’ll go with you,” Hunk stated and went to carry her before she made a noise. 

 

“I’ll walk, just help me.”

 

He nodded and put one hand around her waist while the other gripped her hand, their height differences far too wide for her to balance on his shoulder. They left the kitchen together and she hopped slowly, making for an awkward exit but it was everything to her. Being able to move was better than being carried, even if it was in Hunk’s arms. It signified her determination and that alone might get her through this. 

 

Out of the kitchen and halfway to the green hanger, she paused, a little out of breath. 

 

“You doing okay?” he asked quietly.

 

She nodded, bending over a little. He felt bad, but also wanted her to do what she desired if she was able. Yet this was too soon. 

 

“Pidge I think you made your point. I can carry you, it doesn’t bother me.”

 

“I don’t need to be faster, Hunk. I need you to be at my level. At least for now.”  

 

His heart ached at her choice of words. _ If only I had been on your level in the first place,  _ he thought _ , none of this would have happened. _ She looked back to him and her features softened at the sight of  inner conflict in his eyes. 

 

“I need to be able to do something. Even if I have help, I still want to be a part of it. I don’t want decisions made for me.”

 

“Okay. Just… I’m here for you.” he assured, but the way it came out sounded odd, like a confession. She shook it off and got back to her journey. 

 

The Green Lion was pulsing through her mind the closer she got, searching. She felt the distinct question of a status update. Pidge smiled, Green being just as impatient as she was. She pushed back an answer, that she lost her leg. It was all the information she needed. Nevertheless, she felt as if Green were pacing, anticipating her Paladin to be closer to protect her. Pidge felt the push of regret which could only mean Green somehow felt responsible.

 

The bay doors opened and Green automatically lay down on her belly, chin to the floor facing her. Pidge had Hunk guide her over first and Pidge put a hand against her cold metal jaw.

 

“You didn’t do this,” She said softly, her eyes fixated on her lion. “Instead of guilt and pity, let’s fix it.”

 

She felt a pulse of serenity in her head and knew Green had agreed. 

 

“Okay,” she turned to Hunk and smiled. “She’s good to go. Now I just need to sit at that mess of a lab table and get something drawn up.”

 

He nodded and guided her over to her usual chair. 

 

“Drawn up? You already know what you’re gonna do?” He questioned as she sat and made herself comfortable.

 

“Isn’t it obvious? I need a leg, so I’m gonna make one. If I made all that tech that found Shiro on Earth, I’m pretty sure I can make a leg.”

 

He hesitated. 

 

“Yeah… but like, are we talking wood and metal or… cybernetics?” He asked. 

 

“Of course I’m talking cybernetics! Can you imagine me trying to fight with a hollow metal leg? That would be ineffective to say the least. Most likely detrimental to my safety and the team. No, I need something that can move like my own leg.”

 

He sat down and thought for a moment. 

 

“So, kind of like Shiro’s arm?”

 

“Yes, but I don’t want Galra tech on me if I have the choice.”

 

“So, an Altean prosthetic then?”

 

“Yeah. Made from parts that Coran has laying around and anything she’s willing to give.” She motioned behind her and a small growl came from the Green Lion. Pidge grinned and Hunk mirrored hers. Their eyes met and she looked down.

 

“I need your help on this one. I can design it and everything but running around the ship for parts will be practically impossible. Plus, it’s always better to have two geniuses than one.”

 

Hunk blushed a bit. 

 

“Yeah sure. I’ll help however you want. I’m all yours.” 

 

The phrasing was innocent, but it made the hair on her neck stand up. 

 

“Well, for today, I just want to do measurements and a rough design. We can work on the rest tomorrow… arguing with the head of Voltron took a lot out of me.”

 

Hunk laughed, “Yeah, that’s not something I’ll ever do.”

 

“No, you’ll just talk down to a princess, that’s much better.” She smirked and he laughed again.

 

“It’s complicated… I was just angry,” he said and shrugged.

 

She looked over her shoulder to her lion. 

 

“Let’s get started.”

  
  


Hunk visited her in the morning and together, they made their way down to the lab, the measurements and a rough draft having being drawn up the previous day. On the way, Hunk noticed her clothing.

 

“What’s up with the bike shorts and shirt?” He asked, holding her waist and hand steadily as she hopped down the corridor. She smiled.

 

“I found them in the back of the closet. I’m gonna need them today. Especially with testing that plate idea.”

 

“I was thinking about that,” he hesitated, trying not to sound negative. “I know that the Castle has numbing agents… but you’re talking major surgery. The neural control system you’re making…”

 

“It has to go directly into my bone and my muscle. I know that it’s a risk, but I’m willing to take it.”

 

They entered the green hanger and got Pidge situated on her chair. She looked up to him.

 

“Besides, if it goes wrong, what’s the worst that could happen? That I’ll lose a leg?” She joked with a smirk and he shook his head.

 

“Look, you can deal with the trauma of this however you want… I’m used to you using humor as a coping mech. But I’m not okay with this idea.” He paused and crossed his arms. “Who is even qualified enough to cut your leg open to do the surgery? I mean, we’re talking  biomedical engineering here.”

 

“Yeah? And you were our team mechanic back at the Garrison.”

 

“Oh no. I am  _ not _ taking a scalpel to you. Replacing a thermal pipe in the undercarriage of a reactor is  _ not _ the same as biomechanics,” he stated firmly and crossed his arms even tighter.

 

“Well, I’m going to be passed out in a coma, so who can?”

 

There was a silence where they had too many weird thoughts.

 

“Keith?” Hunk suggested.

 

“What? No way! He’s already too knife happy!”

 

“I’m just saying, he could probably do it without passing out. And Shiro could guide him and I’ll supervise and give your explicit instructions that I expect you to write down for me.”

 

She gave it a while to rattle around in her head. “That… actually might work. But everyone will need to be briefed on this. He can’t sever anything. I won’t be able to connect the plate if this is done wrong.”

 

“Like I said,” he repeated, gathering some of the supplies they had on hand. “This is a bad idea.”

 

“Ideas are only bad if they fail.”

  
  


It took Pidge all of two days to make the plate that she needed to connect to the prosthetic. That part would come later. It was so oddly shaped that really only she and Hunk knew how to even put it on. Seeing as it was finished and they had a plan in place, it was time to talk to the team. That morning, Pidge asked everyone to come to the lab for a briefing. When everyone arrived, Shiro crossed his arms and smiled a bit.

 

“I’m not used to being called to a meeting. Usually I do that.”

 

“I know, but this is really important.” She took a breath, making sure everyone was paying attention. “So we found a solution, but I’m going to need help from everyone.” She held up the odd looking object that was flat on the bottom with all kinds of spires.

 

“The heck is that?” Lance asked.

 

“This is my way to the world. It’s a  Catalan Neural Control System,” she explained, looking proud of herself.

 

“Pidge, English.” Lance deadpanned and she sighed.

 

“It’s a plate that will go inside my leg and connect to my nerves. Once that’s done I can make the matching prosthetic to attach.”

 

“Oh, okay.” He  nodded and it took a moment to register. “Wait, WHAT?!”

 

“Yeah…”

 

“Pidge, no.” Shiro firmly decided. She snapped her head over to him.

 

“No? Really? I made this Shiro. And I made this decision. This is happening, even if I have to use local anesthetic and do it myself.”

 

“This isn’t up for discussion. It’s not safe.” He remained unyielding.

 

“This is happening and you can either help or walk away. I get that you didn’t get a choice, but I do. I want my leg back.”

 

No one spoke, watching Shiro and Pidge fight over something important for once, unsure what to do. 

 

“Out of curiosity,” Coran broke the silence, “What exactly would we need to do?”

 

Shiro turned and gave him a glare but he ignored it; being thousands of years older, he knew from his own experiences that new ideas took unfamiliar leaps sometimes.

 

“Well, this needs to be put into my leg. The longest part needs to go into my bone and the small needle looking parts need to be in my muscle. The entire thing was built to make the tapered end flat and therefore easier to connect. I’ll need someone to cut me open and then Hunk will guide them on with where to put each part before it’s fully connected.”

 

“That sounds… painful,” Coran remarked.

 

“And insane,” Lance added.

 

“Hey, she might be able to do this,” Keith commented and Shiro looked to him.

 

“No. She’s lost too much blood over the last month. There’s no way in he—”

 

“Shiro! I’m not a child!” They stared each other down and Allura came closer to Pidge and Hunk.

 

“Are—who would do this? None of us are qualified,” she tried to deter her.

 

“Keith gets to cut it open with supervision from Shiro and guidance from Hunk. You, Lance, and Coran need to keep me hydrated and under, as well as watch my blood loss. I assume Coran knows how to do an IV?”

 

Everyone looked to him and he put his hands behind his back.

  
“We only did that if we didn’t have a pod. I can try my best, but I might not be able to.”

 

Shiro sighed and looked to Pidge.

 

“This plan is falling apart before we even start.” He waited for her retort and he was met with a determined stare. He tried one last time. “Katie, please. This isn’t safe.”

 

“We can’t ever expect everything to be safe. My family is out there and I need to find them. I need to pilot the Green Lion. I need to fight against Zarkon. If this let’s me do that, then doesn’t the benefit outweigh the risk here?” She pleaded, her voice becoming kind at the end. Shiro came closer to her and for a moment she thought he was going to yell. Instead he put a hand on her head and sighed.

 

“You are so much like your father.”

 

She smiled and pulled Shiro into a hug. He just let out a small chuckle.

 

“Um, not to break up the party, but no one asked how I feel about this. Or any of us,” Keith interrupted, a little curt.

 

Pidge let go and looked to everyone. “That’s why I wanted to have this meeting. I need everyone on board. All hands on deck. We can use that nasal spray as a clotting agent when we’re done and then get me back in a pod to heal over the metal. It should take about two days in stasis. I assume the pod is still pulled out and on the floor in the cryo bay?”

 

Allura nodded and looked back to Coran, then Shiro. ”I will admit, I’m not feeling well about this plan either.”

 

“That’s okay, I need everyone to voice right now who’s with me. Even if you’re uncomfortable with this, I need to know who’s going to help,” Pidge responded calmly, waiting for anyone to back out.

 

“I’ll help you, number five,” Coran volunteered and smiled.

 

“I’m not sure what I’m doing but yeah, sure, I’m in.” Lance confirmed though confused.

 

“Me too.” Keith paused to look at her. “You really trust me enough to do this?”

 

“Not at all,” Pidge replied and she laughed, making Keith smile.

 

“I suppose I’ve got to keep an eye on you as well. I want to help any way I can,” Allura stated. “Besides, if you need a bath, I don’t think you want Lance or Hunk doing that.” 

 

Allura laughed, but Pidge blushed. Ignoring her comment, she looked to Shiro and Hunk.

 

“You already know how I feel, but I’ll do it anyway,” Hunk surrendered quickly, which just left Shiro.

 

“I don’t like it. Not at all.  Especially supervising Keith with a tiny knife inside your skin. But you’ve made the option clear, tactically at least. I’m still worried, but I’ll be there for you each step of the way.”

 

Pidge smiled and was relieved everyone was in. “Okay! Well, it’s morning so let’s grab our supplies and get to it. I want to set this up right next to the pod, it only makes sense.”

 

Everyone nodded and Hunk helped her to the pod bay while Shiro carried the implant. When everyone was gathered, Keith brought a table from the lab which was the closest he could find to a gurney for her to lay on, making her transfer from the table to the pod easier. Hunk put her down on the table and she handed him her tablet.

 

“You’ll have to explain the steps to them. I know you understand this, it’s nothing but words for everyone else.” She hesitated and looked around. “No offense.”

 

They all chuckled and nodded, attentive to their favorite genius. 

 

She laid back and Coran came over to her before he wiped her arm down with alcohol swabs pads. “So are human veins under the muscle or above?” Oh god. 

 

“Above, Coran. Just look for the blue ones and get the needle into it, not through it, they’re hollow so the needle needs to stay inside to get the IV correct.”

 

“Okay here we go!” he said cheerfully and she lay back, with Shiro, thank god, guiding Coran. Her pain tolerance was average but she hated needles. After a few sticks he finally got it, taping it off and connecting the bag.

 

“Lance, hang the bag up and make sure it’s dripping at a slow rate, I need to be under for the whole thing,” she explained, her head getting fuzzy already.

 

“It’s good,” he answered, “There’s a back up bag, just like you asked.”

 

“Okay,” She mumbled.

 

“I have her instructions. Next she says we need to attach the sensors to her to monitor her heart rate and pulse, as well as…” Hunks voice was drowned out and she was gone: back into that darkness from before. That place where time meant nothing and nor was anything felt.

 

It seemed like only seconds had passed but the next thing she knew, the familiar whooshing of a pod door opening brought her back to reality. She looked around and everyone was smiling down at her.

 

“How long this time?” her first question, groggy but excited.

 

“A little over three days, so your calculations were very off,” Hunk responded with a smile. “You’re supposed to be better than this.”

 

She laughed and looked to Shiro and Keith. “How was it?”

 

“Literally the goriest thing I’ve ever seen and I’ve watched my sister give birth.” Lance gagged a bit in the background.

 

“Disgusting and wet.” Keith deadpanned and Shiro just put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“We finished in only an hour. Hunk made sure your instructions were carried out down to the last sentence and very clear.  You’ll have to tell us if it worked,” he informed, smiling at her.

 

She lifted her leg up and saw it had a flat end now, metal covering what had previously been too tapered to do anything with. It was a little more raw around the edges but it blended in with the scarring she already had. On the bottom was the small metal connector that would attach to her prosthetic once it was made. She could feel the cold metal on the outside and her leg felt stiff, a sign of the long metal bar inside. She put her leg down and started laughing.

 

“Well, I won’t know if it worked until I get the leg done, but so far so good.” She leaned up on her elbows and smiled. “Thank you, everyone,” she looked down to her arm. Her vein had blown and she shook her head at the blue and purple nebula on her arm. Coran may not be that familiar with humans but somehow it all worked out. Allura had obviously given her a bath, she felt clean and refreshed. Not to mention she was in a dress? A sleeveless, pale green sundress. That meant when she had just lifted her leg she had flashed everyone. Oops. She chuckled to herself. She hoped Allura put undergarments on her. She felt where the sensors had been because the glue was left behind. Everything had gone okay and she wasn’t even there for it. Her team really was her family.

 

“I think I’m ready for some food.”

  
  


It took Pidge an entire week of no sleep and and constant coffee to get the leg done. When she put it on her table for Hunk to inspect, she was pretty sure her blood was 50% espresso. Her hair was a mess, her eyes had enough luggage for their own flight, and she had barely eaten. She had gone back to her old habits, so nothing unusual. She sat on her lab stool while watching him go over the prosthetic.

 

“This is probably the coolest thing I have ever seen,” Hunk whispered, unable to hide his rambunctiousness. He ran his hands down the sides of it and was amazed. The leg was as white as the ship with lines of blue light pouring out of every line and connection. There was an elongated, hexagonal panel for her shin that was not only aesthetically pleasing with the blue light around it, but it was a hatch for maintenance. The ankle, toes, and each joint in the toes had the same blue light which allowed her to move it just like her real leg. The only thing left to do was connect it. Hunk grabbed it off the table and leaned down next her.

 

“Are you ready? You said it might hurt.”

 

She nodded. “Go for it.”

 

He held it stable in one hand and her knee in the other, planning on pushing the two together. There was one click and he looked up to her.

 

“Not yet. Keep pushing until that blue rim hits my plate.”

 

He looked back down and pushed it, disregarding the many clicks he heard. She took in a lot of sharp breaths and grunted a few times, each neuron connecting and jolting to life with the quintessence inside the core of the prosthetic. It seemed like it took forever, but finally, it was done. She felt like she was going to pass out and leaned forwards, though Hunk caught her just in time.

 

“Whoa. Careful,” he warned and held her steady. Her face had a bit of sweat on her brow from the pain, but it was starting to subside. With each passing second, her leg felt heavier. She grabbed onto him for support and tried to pull him into a hug.

 

“No matter how this turns out, I’m thankful for you,” she said softly and he smiled, hugging her back. She didn’t let go until her pain was gone. She patted him and leaned away, looking down at the floor. She slid her left leg down, feeling the cold floor on her bare foot. She let out a breath and tried to slide her right leg forward, the weight of the leg coming down hard and fast with a loud metal clang.

 

“Ow!” She grunted, annoyed. “Stupid Altean titanium.” She mumbled. She sighed and looked up at Hunk, who was staring at her with wide eyes. “What?”

 

“You said ow.”

 

“Yeah, most people do.”

 

“Okay but what hurt?”

 

“What kind of question is that? I slipped and my foot—” She stopped talking and looked down at her leg. She felt like she couldn’t breathe but also wanted to scream. Her foot had hurt. Her foot. The artificial, metal prosthetic had sent a signal to her brain that dropping her foot to the floor had caused her pain. She looked back up to Hunk and started laughing. 

 

She reached out for him and he helped her stand. She felt the weight on the ball of her foot. She felt her heel dig into the floor when she became unsteady. He let go when she was balanced before she dared to take a step forward. It was flawless. So she took another. And another. And soon she was walking around the hanger, laughing with tears streaming down her face. Hunk grabbed her by the waist to stop her and had the warmest smile she’d ever seen.

 

“You are absolutely amazing.” He pulled her into an embrace.

 

“I can’t believe this. I…” She didn’t have words to describe the joy she felt. She was so happy and felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. She pulled away from Hunk and he laughed with her.

 

“I guess you recover from rock bottom quick, huh?”

 

She smiled and sniffed, “I’m always on the right side of rock bottom. I’ll always get back up.” She paused and looked down at her leg, still in complete shock that she could feel the floor. Hunk lifted her chin and suddenly kissed her without a second thought. Her eyes went wide, but it had been a long time coming for both of them. It felt like eons before he pulled away. When he did, both of their faces were red. She had so many things to say to him, but right now, she was focused on one thing.

 

“Let’s go show the others,” she said immediately and Hunk froze.

 

“Um, we haven’t even discussed—like are we a couple now?” he asked.

 

“Hunk! My leg!”

 

“Oh, right.”

 

She rolled her eyes and took his hand, running out of the hanger and towards the bridge with Hunk in tow. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I have two other works from the Aphelion project so look for those if you are interested! Please comment, even if it's just "i liked it". It means so much to not just me but writers everywhere.


End file.
